


Hand to Hand

by Moonrose91



Series: The Many Times People Underestimated Tony and the Consequences of Said Underestimation [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, I'm not dealing with Phil's "death" okay?, Near Death Experience, PTSD, just...alternate universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 23:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1582763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonrose91/pseuds/Moonrose91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fury decides that those who may get captured without backup need to go to hand to hand combat training. Phil tries to get him to not go near Tony Stark.</p><p>Of course, Fury does anyway because who is he to turn down a chance to see Tony get a beat down while proclaiming his boxing training with his (former) bodyguard is enough?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hand to Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from Tumblr over a year ago....
> 
> I kept meaning to write it, got a few paragraphs and never finished. I am sorry.

"Director Fury do you think this wise?" Agent Coulson questioned as he closed the file Director Fury had given him, folding his hands over it as he leaned forward over his desk to address Fury.

While he rarely questioned Director Fury’s orders, this was one time he was going to. In fact, he was sure that if he did _not_ question these orders, the Director may have to do a lot of digging into SHIELD’s finances to pay for the property damage. “Barton and Romanov are both known by those for the program and you will be there to keep things under control,” Fury stated.

“That is not what I was addressing and you know that Director Fury,” Coulson responded tightly.

“Dr. Banner will be kept to low stress…” Fury argued, even as Coulson interrupted with a simple, “Why is Mr. Stark included on this list of students for ‘The Avengers Self-Defense Class’?”

“He needs it,” Fury answered with a shrug and walked out before Coulson could protest.

He let out a long sigh and picked up the file, closing his suit jacket as he stood up from his very nice, soft, office chair.

Well, this would be…interesting.

* * *

Coulson watched from the head of the small conference table as Natasha, followed by Darcy (which was slightly disturbing, as when Natasha “adopted”, she got _very_ protective, and giving that kind of power to Darcy was not an idea that would help Coulson sleep tonight) entered the conference room. Natasha took a seat at Coulson’s right side while Darcy sat down next to her.

“Why am I here again? I took down the God of Thunder!” Darcy exclaimed as she kicked her booted feet up onto the table in front of her, jean jacket hitching up slightly as she settled her elbows on the back of the chair as she leaned back.

“Because, Miss Lewis, you will not _always_ have your Tazer,” Coulson answered as slid Natasha the files on her students.

He placed Darcy’s schedule on the table next to her feet and then lifted her feet off the table, dropping them onto the ground. “And the meeting table is not a foot rest,” Coulson added as Clint dropped into a chair next to Darcy and did the exact same thing, though with him, his leather jacket tightened as he copied her former pose.

Coulson didn’t hesitate to just kick the chair legs out from under him, causing Natasha to let out a snort as Clint hit the ground. He then dropped the files of Clint’s students where his feet were. “Um…I’m not…sure this is best, for me. I mean, I have…science,” Jane explained as she took a seat opposite of Clint and eyed him worriedly as he righted himself, picking up the files to skim through them most likely.

“You need to at least learn minimal self-defense Dr. Foster. As an…ally to the Avengers, you will probably be targeted and, as Natasha will likely drill into your heads, a weapon can be taken from you and, in the long run, it is easier to kick in the groin than shoot in the head, unless you are Clint Barton,” Coulson explained as he placed her schedule in front of her and Clint chuckled.

“That’s right!” Clint chirped, dropping the files back where he took them from.

“Do you think it wise I be involved in this?” Bruce inquired while Tony, shades covering his eyes, pointedly played with something on his tablet, feet also up on the table, having taken the remaining seat on Coulson’s left when he had has back to the door.

Bruce had taken the one in the middle, across from Darcy, and Coulson handed him his schedule. “We think it best in case anyone manages to shut down the Hulk. I don’t think it will happen, but Natasha has some low-stress techniques she will be happy to share with you,” Coulson explained as he walked behind Tony.

He did not try to remove Tony’s feet from the table; instead Coulson just placed the schedule on the tablet. Tony immediately removed his feet as he sat up, the tablet’s screen going dark as Coulson came to stand at the head of the table. “Congratulations on being the first students for ‘The Avengers Self-Defense Class’. I will be your supervisor and, occasionally, your teacher. Barton and Natasha will be your full time teachers,” Coulson explained, even as Tony dropped his head back and crossed his legs.

* * *

The music died the moment Phil stepped into Tony’s lab, Tony’s shouts of _traitor_ muffled from under one of the cars. “Tony, you are going to have to eventually show up for your classes,” Phil stated as he walked over to the torch red, 2013 Corvette Tony was working on.

“No, no I do not,” Tony answered and Phil resisted the urge to just let his hand run over it in a hovering manner.

Not actually touch it but…

“Yes, you do Tony. Today is the group one and you have to show up,” Phil responded.

“Is Bruce showing up?” Tony asked, wheeling out to glare up at Phil from behind his googles.

“No, but he has special permission not to,” Phil answered.

“Why can’t I get special permission?”

“Because you made me promise not to explain that you have received Special Forces training by some very shady friends of Howard’s when you were a child,” Phil responded and Tony huffed, rolling back under.

“Fine. I’ll be there,” Tony answered and Phil, carefully, made him roll back out.

Tony was still glaring and Phil sighed. “Tony, if I could, I’d have kicked you out of the program or pulled you, but Fury won’t let me. And now he thinks you are avoiding the classes so you won’t get laughed at by Clint,” Phil stated.

“That is a good reason to avoid going, because if Birdbrain is laughing at you, you have done something wrong,” Tony answered and Phil just gave a short nod before he tugged at Tony’s jean cuff.

“Get cleaned up and then head up,” Phil answered as he stood and walked to the door, the music blaring once more as he stepped over the threshold, back out of Tony Stark’s world.

* * *

_Block, block, disengage, kick to miss, back up, block, twist, turn, and push._

Tony felt as if his brain was fighting against three sets of instincts at once, which it was, and it was getting harder the longer they kept in an area _that did not look like a gym_! This was not a gym! This was a flat field and…shit!

Tony kicked just hard enough to connect with Clint’s rib cage to send him back. He really needed to get out of here and pretend that it was because he was incompetent. “Tony, that leg needs to be straighter,” Clint stated and Tony resisted the urge to snap back that he knew that.

He wanted to run, to protect the _idiot_ who kept coming at him, and _fight_. And, as Tony had been taught, you fought to win and you didn’t win till you had someone pinned to the ground and dead.

Sometimes Tony wondered about the people Howard had…

The elbow came too close to the throat and Tony reacted instantly. He ducked in, grabbed the wrist, twisting as he threw whoever it was over his back, feeling the bones crack under his grip. He followed through, one hand grabbing, fingers pinching just below the jaw line as he slammed his attacker into the grass below them, quickly straddling.

There was shouting, a lot of shouting, but Tony couldn’t hear it, not really as he grabbed one wrist, than the broken one, pinning them to the ground as he bore down. “Tony!” Phil shouted and Tony released Clint so fast, it was as if he was being burned, scrambling up, onto his feet.

Cold, he was very cold, as he panted for air while Clint hacked and coughed on the ground. He didn’t look over, didn’t look around as Natasha knelt next to Clint, helping him to breathe, while Phil watched him.

Tony wasn’t going to look over at Darcy and Jane.

They saw that.

They saw him do…that.

“I’m done,” Tony answered as he turned and walked quickly out of the room, feeling his muscles jumping under his skin and he walked faster and faster until he was running.

* * *

Clint isn’t too surprised to find Tony in his lab, working on the car. The torch red car he knows Phil is practically in love with and wants to do the pet-not pet thing to. The music stops the minute he enters and he was surprised when he heard Tony shout, “Not now Phil!”

“Not Phil,” he croaked out and there was a thump of head hitting metal, followed by cursing, and Tony was out from under the car.

“Didn’t I try to kill you six hours ago?” Tony demanded as he stood up, not looking at him as he wiped his hands off on an already dirty towel.

“Twelve. Nice moves,” Clint answered, wincing a bit.

He’d already talked too much and Tony huffed. “Yeah, well…I only fight when…I have to fight. I can usually…not freak out like that if I am in a ring,” Tony muttered and Clint nodded as he walked over, hopping up to sit on the back of the couch and stare at Tony.

“You should meet May. Have Phil introduce you two,” Clint stated, his voice giving out on two.

Tony stared at him. “I don’t meet people. And you should probably go…look at the throat…thing, there,” Tony stated as he turned around and headed back to the car, already sliding back under.

Clint huffed and hopped down, heading out. The music didn’t start again till the door fully shut.

* * *

“Phil, I don’t want to be within five feet of Tony Stark,” May stated as she walked away from him.

“May, I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t necessary,” Phil responded as he followed her.

“Why is it necessary I go and meet Tony Stark?” May demanded.

“Because he was taught that the only way to fight was to kill, and maybe if he could talk to someone other than Natasha, he might actually get some help breaking that habit,” Phil responded and May turned to him.

“Fine. But only because I don’t want have to see more forms on Clint getting his wrist broken,” she responded and Phil thanked her quietly.

**Author's Note:**

> And, apprently, competent also means that he can and will have a break-down if that "competency" is used against his friends.
> 
> Just so you know, my original idea was Tony just casually throwing Steve and Thor across the room and it becoming a game, but my brain basically picked up and ran off cackling, "ANGST!"
> 
> So, yeah.
> 
> (Had this been a real fight, Tony...wouldn't have reacted like that. He's very pragmatic; if they are dead, they tried to kill him first.)


End file.
